1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a game playing system for commercial use and particularly to such a system enabling a plurality of players to play a game simultaneously in the same game space.
2.Description of the Prior Art:
With spread of video games, various types of game machines have been developed and actually used. Almost all such game machines in the prior art are of a single-player type wherein only one player plays a game in a completely independent game space. Even where a plurality of identical game machines are installed in the same place, only one player can play a game with a computer as a companion.
To enjoy the game with further pleasure, it is desirable that a plurality of players can simultaneously play the corresponding number of game machines such as drive game machines together in the same game space to emulate each other as in driving technique.
To this end, the prior art has provided various types of multi-player game machines wherein a plurality of players can play the same game simultaneously in the same game space to increase the enjoyment of the game.
In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 12 exemplifies one of the prior art multi-player game machines, which is adapted to display a plurality of objects to be operated by the respective players in the same scene. The players can play the same game together in the same game space by manipulating control members 100A, 100B and 100C on a control panel, respectively.
As such a multi-player game machine, there is known "GUNTRET" commercially available from ARITA Company.
FIG. 13 shows another example of the prior art multi-player game machines, which comprises a plurality of independent display sections each having a control member 100A, 100B or 100C, each of the display section being adapted to display a game scene representative of the common game space.
Such a game machine includes, for example, "VS TENNIS" commercially available from NINTENDO.
In the prior art multi-player game machines, however, the number of players playable in the same game space is limited to the number of control members as shown by 100A, 100B and 100C since these control members are incorporated into one and the same game machine. In the case where the multi-player game machine has three control members as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, therefore, only three players can play the same game simultaneously in the same game space.
Further, since the prior art multi-player game machines are constructed exclusively for multi-player games with a plurality of control members as shown by 100A, 100B and 100C and a display or displays being incorporated into only a single game machine, they are extremely expensive in comparison with other single-player game machines, resulting in limitation of the number of game machines which are to be installed for commercial use.